HAYS

Alison Yapp (pictured), general legal counsel and company secretary at recruitment group Hays, has been a listed company secretary since 2001 and was in the building next door to the Enron HQ in London when investigators were removing computers as part of their fraud investigation.

Alison Yapp (pictured), general legal counsel and company secretary at recruitment group Hays, has been a listed company secretary since 2001 and was in the building next door to the Enron HQ in London when investigators were removing computers as part of their fraud investigation.

"Since Enron and Worldcom there's been a whole raft of incidents that have brought governance matters to the forefront," she says. "Directors of large groups need to know what's going on in the peripheral areas, no matter how big or small the business is.

"They need a knowledge of governance processes and procedures that is far-reaching across the globe and need to be aware of legislation in other jurisdictions and how this applies to the UK and abroad."

As well as the revised Combined Code, Yapp's in-box this year will include the Anti-Corruption and Bribery Bill, which will introduce a new layer of criminal liabilities for directors. "It's going to be a case of advising the board on their individual directors' duties and ensuring the group as a whole has in place a robust training and awareness programme," she says.